Licence code associated with another account

[Anonymous]

@daxproduck We understand your concern and have passed on your feedback to the relevant team. 

The association of the license code with the Intuit account has several advantages, including making it easier for you to keep track of the various purchases/installations that have been made and an easy access to your license code in a situation where you need it.

Thank you,

[memyselfandi2]

I agree 100%. This requirement to sign in using the same username for multiple computers is ridiculous. And an invasion of privacy. I have used turbotax for many years. I WILL NOT BUY TURBO TAX AGAIN. You just lost another loyal client.

[aboud]

i baught a new computer, i download my intuit turbo tax 20declarations. he cant open and give me a message :

This license code is already linked to another account. Code d'erreur : 608

what i should do 

[TurboTaxAniqua]

@aboud  Have you used a sharing license code or shared it? If so, you must download TurboTax Desktop after logging into your or their Intuit account. 

TurboTax Desktop for TY24 will support one account per license code. To use your TurboTax software, you must log into or create an account, as of last tax season. This will benefit our customers because it now saves your license code in your TurboTax account. Yes, you can install it on three computers using the TurboTax account associated with your license code. It simplifies the process because when you log into your account when downloading on a new computer, the license code is already available for you to click on. 

Thank you for choosing TurboTax.

[user17731989344]

Has this feature/bug been resolved in the TY25 product or is it still a requirement for one code to one account?

[TurboTaxAniqua]

@user17731989344 TurboTax Desktop for Tax Year 2025 allows one account per license code. As of the last tax season, you must log into your TurboTax account or create one to use your software. 

This change benefits our customers by saving their license code to their TurboTax account. You can download the software on up to three computers using the TurboTax account associated with your license code. This simplifies the process, as when you are logged into your account on a new computer, the license code will already be available for you to click on. You can still complete 8 to 12 returns (depending on the product you purchased) and use NetFile as before.

In terms of installing TurboTax Desktop on 3 Windows OS, it has not changed, and it's still the same.

[mayfieldmax]

With 2025 TurboTax standard 1 have activated TurboTax on 1 computer, but when I try to activate on a second computer it says code is in use for 1 of 3 computers.  the only choice then is to click "Activate".  At which point if asks to enter the 10 digit code. When its entered and I click "Activate" it gives me a error 608.

I've tried with both my TurboTax accounts but I get the same results.  Why?  How do I complete the Activation?

[ComingOfShadows]

I am sorry, but this does not "benefit our customers", this is just a way to make the process more frustrating to reduce sharing within the family in a sad attempt to push more sales.

The entire point of a license key is to control the # of activations, this worked fine for years before you switched to this account linking method.  The key controls the number of activations since it contacts the server when activated with the added benefit of having complete separation of the returns on each machine.

Having a sign on to an account to activate OR enter a license key makes sense, but both is actually a security risk.  If you must have an account, then allow multiple accounts per license key which could then be shown on the Primary account to track activations. 

For example, my parents are retired and spend the winter abroad.  Under this system, rather then giving my Father a license key, I need to share my username and password for my account as well.   I also have to co-ordinate because it will then need to send a 2FA code.   

Please escalate this to your data security team as this is an extremely bad implementation for authentication when multiple activations are allowed.

[TurboTax_Susan]

@ComingOfShadows As per the Software End User Licence Agreement, your TurboTax licence does not allow you to transfer your licence to the Software to any other party. 

[ComingOfShadows]

@TurboTax_Susan

I believe my original post may have been misunderstood. My concern is not about transferring a license to another party. I fully understand that the license is limited and allows only a certain number of installations.

My concern is specifically about the current activation design, which requires both a license key and an Intuit account to activate the desktop software.

The license key already enforces the permitted number of activations by contacting the activation server. That mechanism has worked for many years and already provides the necessary control over installations.

Requiring the same Intuit account login on every installation introduces a practical and security problem. In households where the license legitimately allows multiple installations, users are effectively forced to share the account credentials in order to activate the software on different machines.

For example, if a family member installs the software on their computer while travelling or living elsewhere temporarily, the license holder must provide their account username and password and potentially coordinate two-factor authentication as well. This is not a license transfer; it is simply a permitted installation under the license terms.

Encouraging customers to share account credentials runs contrary to widely accepted security guidance, which discourages password sharing and promotes individual accountability for account access.

A more secure design would be either:
- Activation using the license key alone (as was previously the case), or
- Allowing separate Intuit accounts to activate under the same license key while tracking those activations under the primary license holder.

I would also note that the current activation design appears inconsistent with common privacy principles that encourage collecting only the personal information necessary to provide a service. Because the license key already enforces activation limits, requiring an account login for each installation does not appear technically necessary.

Another point worth noting is that the identity associated with the Intuit account is not related to the taxpayers whose returns are being prepared. One copy of TurboTax can legally prepare and file multiple returns for different individuals, which demonstrates that the software does not require knowledge of the user’s identity to perform its core function.

I am not asking for additional installations beyond what the license allows. I am simply asking that the activation system not require account credential sharing in order to use the installations already permitted by the license.

I would appreciate if this concern could be reviewed by the appropriate product, privacy, or security team.